American Ninja (1985)
Joe Armstrong, an orphaned drifter with little respect for much other than martial arts, finds himself on an American Army base in The Philippines after a judge gives him a choice of enlistment or prison. On one of his first missions driving a convoy, his platoon is attacked by a group of rebels who try to steal the weapons the platoon is transporting and kidnap the base colonel's daughter.
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Touches You
The Worst Film Ever
Admirable film.
An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Cannon Group Golan-Globus Productions were having great success with their previous ninja films, "Enter the Ninja," "Revenge of the Ninja," and "Ninja III: The Domination," so why not start a new franchise? Michael Dudikoff plays the titular American Ninja, a G.I. on a U.S. Army base in the Philippines. He keeps his ninja skills a secret, even when fellow soldier Steve James challenges him to a fight (don't worry, the two become fast friends after Dudikoff repeatedly flips James and chokes him out), but when Dudikoff uncovers arms dealers colluding with military officials, he is one ninja who's had all he can stands and can't stands n'more. To be clear, this is a terrible film, but if you enjoy campy 1980s ninja films, which I most certainly do, you will enjoy this ridiculous ninja/Rambo hybrid. FUN FACT: Director Sam Firstenberg has said this is one of his two favorite films he's directed, the other being "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo." Personally speaking, I think "Ninja III: The Domination" is his career high point.
This being a Cannon production, I think my problem is I was expecting something like "Revenge of the Ninja". And that's just not being fair. What it does have is Steve James, ably stealing all of his scenes and, well the whole movie to be honest.There's entertainment here, you just have to work for it. The movie doesn't really get going until the first good fight scene 45 minutes in. And the real ninja fun is kicked to the tail end. It's probably just me, I don't think I was prepared for the Tao of Dudikoff; the scowl, the saunter, it's a heady stew of low-rent charisma.6/10
Master of the squinty glare Michael Dudikoff rescues cute Army brat Judie Aronson from ninjas, with help from sidekick Steve James. One of my favorite dumb '80s action cheapies from Cannon. What's there not to like? Terrible stunts, laughable usage of Army surplus equipment and uniforms, and some of the worst directing and editing ever on film. Lots of continuity errors and mistakes. It becomes a sort of drinking game after awhile. Take a drink every time you see a goof. Still, despite so many flaws, it manages to be extremely entertaining. Fans of Cannon movies will love it. It's one of their best. Dumb, mindless popcorn movie.
while this 80's martial arts cheapie from Cannon films(produced By Golan/Globus) won't win any awards,it's a decent enough time killer with some good if not spectacular action sequences.it's not boring at all.in fact,it moves along at a pretty good pace.and as long as you know what you're getting you shouldn't be disappointed.Hamlet,it ain't,but it doesn't pretend to be,and none of the actors involved in it do either.it's just cheesy fun.and as far as Cannon films and producers Golan/Globus go,there are a lot of movies in the stable much worse than this.i for one,quite enjoyed it for what it is.for me,American Ninja is a 7/10